Prometheus is basically one of two franchise films I was really looking forward to this year (the other being The Hobbit, and a certain franchise occupied the third tier before it was moved to 2013) and these pictures and the trailers I've half-caught certainly do not disappoint. It's very Alien, and that's my favourite of the Alien movies anyhow as well as one of my favourite sci-fi films generally.

Is this fear of R ratings a recent thing? I don't remember Hollywood people having such a problem with R ratings before the last 5 years or so. Does it really hurt a movie's box office that badly if it's R?

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It's more that sci-fi films, in addition to being comparatively expensive, are already a niche market segment (there's a reason the ads have been playing up that Scott is the director of Blade Runner and Gladiator, not Alien), and R-rated films, generally speaking, don't make nearly as much bank as their lesser-rated counterparts. Of the top twenty grossing films in 2011, only two -- The Hangover Part II and Bridesmaids -- were R-rated, and those were comedies with broad audience appeal. An R-rated science fiction / body horror film is considered less likely to be a box-office success.

(there's a reason the ads have been playing up that Scott is the director of Blade Runner and Gladiator, not Alien)

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Because Blade Runner isn't a sci-fi film?

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Blade Runner doesn't have the stigma of the last three entries in the franchise being God-awful. Fox was very deliberate to avoid any sort of direct link to Alien outside of promotions over the last couple of months, and for good reason -- by positioning Prometheus as its own thing, the studio was able to start the build and avoid people saying, "Oh, fuck, another one? Weren't the two Alien vs. Predator movies bad enough?"

And don't you think the ads are playing up Alien in ways other than showing the word "Alien" on the screen?

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There's been a definite slow burn; now that they're mimicking the original Alien trailer (and using that siren), the connection is becoming a little more clear-cut.

There are bits and pieces that I'm not thrilled with so far, largely some very specific aspects of the design (and I wish the trailers hadn't gotten so spoileriffic over the last couple of months). Specifically, I'm not crazy about the suits, but they do have a definite lineage from the Alien ones, particularly when looking at the shoulder pauldrons. The bigger issue for me is the color palette of the inside of the Prometheus itself, which still feels overly bright.

In any event, I'm still ridiculously excited. That being said, Ridley Scott has always been a better designer than director. At least half of Blade Runner is him playing with his own toys, yet it somehow works because they're fucking amazing toys, so I'll wait till the film is out to judge the look, since Scott usually knows what he wants and he tends to be right more often than not. (Also, science fiction brings out his artistic side like there's no tomorrow, and he's insanely controlling of his art departments.)

There are bits and pieces that I'm not thrilled with so far, largely some very specific aspects of the design (and I wish the trailers hadn't gotten so spoileriffic over the last couple of months). Specifically, I'm not crazy about the suits, but they do have a definite lineage from the Alien ones, particularly when looking at the shoulder pauldrons. The bigger issue for me is the color palette of the inside of the Prometheus itself, which still feels overly bright.

In any event, I'm still ridiculously excited. That being said, Ridley Scott has always been a better designer than director. At least half of Blade Runner is him playing with his own toys, yet it somehow works because they're fucking amazing toys, so I'll wait till the film is out to judge the look, since Scott usually knows what he wants and he tends to be right more often than not. (Also, science fiction brings out his artistic side like there's no tomorrow, and he's insanely controlling of his art departments.)

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While I do see the issue people have brought up with the overly "bright" art direction, I see the explanation as twofold. First, despite the fact that this takes place before Alien, the Nostromo was essentially a space tractor-trailer, and I think the clunky suits and the dark industrial interior of that ship is a reminder of that fact. These guys were the working class, and wouldn't have top of the line...well anything. The Prometheus meanwhile is a state of the art research ship, so it would make sense that it would have sophisticated new technology and accessories.

IIRC Scott himself directly addressed the issue with the design in an interview, and stated that he thought the whole "used future" had been overdone since the time he made "Alien" and that he wanted to go in a different direction.

One thing to remember as well, is that Scott stated early on in the filmmaking process, that he had to over light the sets, since the 3D cameras needed more light then the cameras he used on Alien. IIRC he said that they would be doing some lighting changes with CG in post production. How much of that work has been represented in the trailers I do not know, but it's something to look out for.

Hmm, I know it's heavily edited, but at the moment it kinda feels more like an Avatar sequel than something from the quiet and eerie Alien universe.

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There's definitely some influence from Avatar -- the sickbay feels like a poor man's take on that design, and on other sets, the neon paneling and the hazard tape being fucking everywhere is really hurting the look for me. Subtlety is key, and it's kind of being lost in some sort of strive for so-called realism. In Alien, the Nostromo and its design and direction conveys just as much narrative, context and subtext as does the rampage of the penis rape machine alien savaging the crew.